''Hotel Rwanda'' is a 2004 historical drama sometimes referred to as an African ''Film/SchindlersList'', with good reason. It tells the true story of Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle) during the Rwandan genocide. Paul was a successful Hutu businessman who managed the five-star Hôtel des Mille Collines, and hid and protected refugees there.

The Rwandan genocide started when the Tutsi fell out of the power they had been assigned by the Belgians, who used to control their country. The darker-skinned Hutus (the majority of the Rwandan population) were once considered inferior. Hutu extremists felt that the Tutsi were their oppressors and needed to be wiped out completely. Paul finds himself in no real danger because he is a Hutu, but his Tutsi wife Tatiana (Creator/SophieOkonedo) is. After doing business with the very same Hutu extremists and witnessing horrific things done to his wife's people, Paul decides that he must do something about it and not let his neighbors and friends die. Refugees and orphans came to seek shelter in the Mille Collines hotel, and this powerful movie recounts that story.

It's cited as one of the most inspirational movies of all time. Paul Rusesabagina was contacted for help with writing the film.----!!Tropes used by the film:

* AdultFear: Having to keep your family safe during a genocide is a ''huge'' one. Add on the extra terror Paul must endure due to the fact that his wife is Tutsi and his children are half Tutsi.** Though not addressed by the film, Rusesabagina is in fact half-Tutsi himself, meaning that he was at even greater personal risk than implied, plus his children were technically 3/4 Tutsi.* TheAlcoholic: General Bizimungu. Therefore, easily bribed with good scotch.* ArtisticLicenseHistory: In reality, Paul's wife understood, if reluctantly, why he had to stay behind to protect the people sheltering in the hotel.** See also TheThemeParkVersion below.* BadassPacifist: Paul. It's one thing to stand up to psychotic, blood-crazed mobs when you're an armed ass-kicker. It's another thing altogether to do it when you're a hotel manager armed only with an iron backbone and wits.* BasedOnATrueStory: But dramatized for the sake of the movie.%%* BigBadFriend: Rutaganda is this to Paul. * BigDamnHeroes: The closest you'll get in a movie so dark despite being commented on as not being dark as the real thing. [[spoiler:As the hotel refugees are leaving by way of UN-emblazoned transports, a swarm of Hutu militiamen are seen on the road ahead. Colonel Oliver is armed with ''a pistol,'' and he does nothing but cock it and order them to 'Keep driving.' Then, against what seems to be a building DownerEnding, a group of Tutsi rebels emerge from the nearby foliage and open fire, giving the trucks a way to pass through.]]* BilingualBonus: The hotel "Mille Collines", which means "the thousand hills", is another name for the country Rwanda. * BittersweetEnding: A fairly obvious case. True to history, Paul and his family make it to safety along with the rest of the hotel refugees; Sadly however, nearly a million Rwandans were not as fortunate by the time the violence was stopped. * CategoryTraitor: Paul is viewed as one by Georges Rutaganda and many other Hutu extremists, due to his marriage to a Tutsi woman and his reluctance to partake in Hutu supremacist activities.* {{Determinator}}: Paul does absolutely everything in his power and then some to guarantee the survival of his family and the other refugees. * DirtyCoward: Those Hutus like Gregoire who didn't actively take part in the genocide but were happy to take advantage of it. And basically the rest of the world as well-for example through the UN security council's painfully obvious loophole abuse to prevent the genocide being recognized as a genocide[[note]]It was so ridiculous that former President Clinton, in 2004, traveled to Rwanda and apologized for failing the country so completely[[/note]]. * FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence: The film depicts the genocide as being a consequence of this logic.* {{Foreshadowing}}: At the start of the film, Paul goes to pick up some supplies from Rutaganda. It's a fairly casual exchange. One of the forklift operators brings a load of crates and Rutaganda shouts that it's the wrong one. When the operator reverses the machine, the top crate falls off and splits open on the ground. It's full of ''machetes.''%%* GuileHero: Paul.%%* HappilyMarried: Paul and Tatiana.* HeroicBSOD:** Paul has one shortly after [[spoiler: driving on a road covered with hundreds of mutilated corpses.]] It's the first moment when he's alone after the genocide begins.** Colonel Oliver has one when he finds out the U.N. soldiers aren't going to protect the refugees or help them get out of the country.* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: General Bizimungu. In the film, he's portrayed as only motivated by self-interest. While uninterested in protecting Tutsis unless Paul is paying him to do so, he also shows no particular desire to see them dead, unlike other Hutu officers. He also adamantly insists to Paul that he did not commit any atrocities when he has no obvious reason to lie. The real life Bizimungu, however, did indeed lead massacres.* HistoryRepeats: A rather sobering example in the opening to the film, which includes the radio clip "[[UsefulNotes/BillClinton President Clinton]] voiced concern at the deteriorating situation in Sarajevo...", alluding to the [[UsefulNotes/TheYugoslavWars Bosnian War]], which occurred only a few short years before the Rwandan genocide.* HonestCorporateExecutive: Paul's boss in Belgium, Mr. Tillens, who is horrified by the genocide, does what he can to help Paul and the refugees, notably doing more than his nation's actual government to help.%%* HopeSpot: Several.* ImprobableWeaponUser: Subverted. Paul finds his wife and family hiding in a shower, wielding a shower hose as a weapon. He even points out, "What were you going to do with this?!" especially since the water was turned off by that point.* INeedAFreakingDrink: Colonel Oliver when he finds out the U.N. isn't going to stop the genocide.* IronicEcho:** And a particularly brutal one at that.-->'''Gen. Bizimungu''': ''(To Col. Oliver)'' Colonel, the UN need not worry. The Interhamwe? We will control them. ** Much later, when the hotel refugees are at the end of their rope: -->'''Tatiana''': ''(To Col. Oliver)'' The Interhamwe, what about them?-->'''Col. Oliver''': No one controls them. * KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Sleazy employee [[LazyBum Gregoire]] receives zero comeuppance for selling out the first band of refugees attempting to flee the hotel, which nearly gets some of them -including Paul's family-killed. The original script took this even further, where an enraged Paul actually attempts to chase him down, only to give up and allow Gregoire to escape his just deserts.]]* LesCollaborateurs: One of Paul's hotel employees is a virulent Hutu partisan who [[spoiler:tells the militia about the location of the Tutsi refugees.]]* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: There's lots of bonus material if you buy even the VanillaEdition, though, including DVDCommentary by the real Paul Rusesabagina himself.* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Nick Nolte plays a CaptainErsatz Canadian colonel named Oliver, rather than the real-life [[Literature/ShakeHandsWithTheDevil General Roméo Dallaire]] who was the Force Commander for UNAMIR. Whether this was to avoid historical inaccuracies or because he didn't want to [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent bother with a Québécois accent]] isn't clear.* PoliceAreUseless: The United Nations soldiers, but not by choice.--> '''Col. Oliver''': I'm only allowed to leave four soldiers stationed here, Paul. And they're not allowed to shoot.* PropagandaMachine: The pretty much TruthInTelevision. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_T%C3%A9l%C3%A9vision_Libre_des_Mille_Collines Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines]], the anti-Tutsi "Hutu Power" radio station we hear on the film.* RealityIsUnrealistic: According to the real Paul Rusesabagina, the level of violence was downplayed for the film, saying "You couldn't invite someone to watch the real thing."* RapeAsDrama: Happens to the Tutsi women and girls captured by Rutaganda and his militiamen. Unfortunately, this is very much TruthInTelevision, since this was not only institutionalized but ''encouraged'' by the militias and military. One survivor of the genocide reported being raped more than 5 times a day while the men stood around and watched.%%* ScaryBlackMan: George Rutaganda and many members of the Interahamwe. * SwordDrag: The Hutu militia does this, sliding their machetes against the ground while closing in on the Tutsi refugees.* TakeAThirdOption: Given the choice between shooting the Tutsi refugees or being shot himself, Paul instead [[spoiler:bribes the soldier holding him at gunpoint into releasing them.]]* TakeThat:-->'''Jack''': ''"I think if people see this footage, they'll say oh my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners."''[[note]]Sadly, in RealLife, that is ''exactly'' what happened. [[/note]]* ThanatosGambit: It's theorized that the assassinated President Habyarimana did this so it would give his followers an excuse for committing the genocide (which was pre-planned). The movie takes this angle. * TheThemeParkVersion: in-universe. Paul's associate explains the distinction between Hutu and Tutsi as having basically just been an invention of the Belgians during [[UsefulNotes/{{Rwanda}} the colonial period]]. However, the reality is more complex than that, as pre-existing notions of Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups did exist, and theories abound concerning migration patterns of the Tutsi and where they may have come from centuries earlier. However, the cultures and bloodlines are so mixed in Rwanda as to make the black-and-white distinction used by the Interahamwe [[FalseDichotomy quite false]].* WhamLine:-->'''George Rutaganda''': ''"Cut the tall trees. Cut the tall trees now!"'' ** Also, Colonel Oliver's dejected exchange with Paul when he finds out that the West is refusing to do anything to prevent the genocide, utterly crushing Paul's hopes of stopping the nightmare-->'''Colonel Oliver''': You should spit in my face, Paul.-->'''Paul''': Excuse me, Colonel?-->'''Colonel Oliver''': You're dirt, we think you're dirt, Paul.-->'''Paul''': Who is we?-->'''Colonel Oliver''': The west, all the superpowers, everything you believe in Paul, they think you're dirt, they think you're dung, you're worthless.-->'''Paul''': I'm afraid I do not understand what you're saying, sir.-->'''Colonel Oliver''': Don't bullshit me, Paul, you're the smartest guy here. You have them all eating out of your hand. You'd own this fucking hotel, except for one thing. You're black. You're not even a nigger. You're an ''African''. They're not gonna stay, Paul. They're not gonna stop the slaughter.* WhiteMansBurden: {{Invoked}} and {{subverted}}. A few white international characters are introduced as being disturbed and wanting to help with the situation in Rwanda. Once the UN makes the order to ship them out, though, they prove to be ineffective.* WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: Doubles as a TakeThat moment when a refugee angrily shuts off the radio as UN officials continue to bullshit the issue as the question of genocide is discussed. Paul's disgust really sums up the utter callousness of the UN through the crisis. ----